Hey!!! That is simple!!! (& all these years I've been patting myself on the back thinking how smart I was to be able to run my Harman!)Charlie Z wrote:Yikes! I'm afraid that we over complicate burning coal... This is handled elsewhere, but needs ref here:
Morning:
- Open ash door and Shake till *burning bits drop* across grate,
- Leave door/draft control open to raise temp. Go fill hod (25lbs)
- FILL to TOP of firebrick
- Close ash door/draft control when temp passes 'cruise' temp (close @400* or so for ours)
- Control temp output like an oven dial with the draft controls.
Evening:
- Same as above, just empty the ashpan when getting the coal.
Start:
- strong wood fire (or fancy briquettes)
- open ash door/draft control
- throw thin blanket layer of coal onto wood coals, wait 15 min, repeat till TOP of firebrick (~30 min total)
- Close ash door/draft control when temp passes "cruise".
Tools - Stick on temp guage (rutland) just about required for noobs.
- Manometer, highly recommended.
It doesn't burn like wood. If you leave the ashdoor open on a pure coal fire, it'll take about 15 mins to peg the temp guage (overfire). With a wood fire that will occur in about 1 minute with the loading door closed.
Stone simple and not tricky at all.
Coal Not Lasting All Night
-
coaledsweat
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 13767
- Joined: Fri. Oct. 27, 2006 2:05 pm
- Location: Guilford, Connecticut
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Axeman Anderson 260M
- Coal Size/Type: Pea
You might find it works better if you raise the temp first and then shake it down. Anthracite doesn't like being played with unless it is wide awake. It gets grumpy when it is sleepy.Charlie Z wrote:- Open ash door and Shake till *burning bits drop* across grate,
- Leave door/draft control open to raise temp. Go fill hod (25lbs)
I don't have the coal bin in my living room, so It takes me about 5-10 mins or so to make coffee and go out and fill the hod.
Just to be sure, I time and measure temperature precisely each morning and it works best at 8 mins 32.46 seconds to raise the fire 214.79*. (The laser temp guage was off today by .03*, but - luckily - the Dostmann DDM 900 caught it. It's precision is to +-.0005*, but you can't be too careful with coal. Noobies can get by with a cheap $90 Fluke infrared thermometer.)
I just don't feel comfortable going under 8 min 25 secs & 212* rise or past 8:38 & 220*.
Of course, my wife dumps the hod in and shakes the grate and we haven't noticed a difference...
Just to be sure, I time and measure temperature precisely each morning and it works best at 8 mins 32.46 seconds to raise the fire 214.79*. (The laser temp guage was off today by .03*, but - luckily - the Dostmann DDM 900 caught it. It's precision is to +-.0005*, but you can't be too careful with coal. Noobies can get by with a cheap $90 Fluke infrared thermometer.)
I just don't feel comfortable going under 8 min 25 secs & 212* rise or past 8:38 & 220*.
Of course, my wife dumps the hod in and shakes the grate and we haven't noticed a difference...
coaledsweat wrote:You might find it works better if you raise the temp first and then shake it down. Anthracite doesn't like being played with unless it is wide awake. It gets grumpy when it is sleepy.Charlie Z wrote:- Open ash door and Shake till *burning bits drop* across grate,
- Leave door/draft control open to raise temp. Go fill hod (25lbs)
